Definition
In aircraft maintenance, an inspection or verification performed on a system, component, or condition to confirm it meets a required standard, specification, or operational status.
Plain English
To look at something carefully to make sure it is right, working properly, or set the way it should be.
Context Anchor
Seen during inspection of wooden aircraft structures, wood repairs, and airframe material descriptions.
Derivation
“Check” has several English meanings. In this use, it comes from the older material sense of a crack or split, not the common meaning of inspecting or verifying something.
Why Pilots Care
Maintenance instructions and preflight checklists frequently use 'check' as an action verb. Knowing it means an active verification — not just a glance — affects how thoroughly the task gets done.
Intuition Check
Do not read “check” here as “inspect” or “verify.” In this glossary entry, a check is a crack or separation in wood.
Example Sentence 1
Check the tire pressure before each flight and adjust as needed.
Example Sentence 2
As part of the preflight inspection, the pilot completed a visual check of the tires and brakes.